The Saints lost out on free agent cornerback Ron Bartell, who decided to stay with the St. Louis Rams, a league source confirmed.

According to a report from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the deal was four years, $28 million, with $13.6 million in guaranteed money. The Saints made a strong push to get Bartell. A source indicated that both teams' offers were in the same ballpark, but the choice came down to which situation Bartell preferred, and he apparently liked what he heard from new Rams Coach Steve Spagnuolo.

No word yet on whether the Saints will pursue another free agent cornerback or if they simply targeted Bartell because they had a high scouting grade on him. Although the Saints would like to upgrade the cornerback position, they do have plenty of depth to work with there, so it's not as pressing as their need at the safety position.

The Saints are still evaluating at least two free agent safeties -- Gerald Sensabaugh, who visited Saturday and Sunday, and Darren Sharper, who is scheduled to arrive for a visit this afternoon.

At this point, we don't know of any other scheduled free agent visits. Despite reports out of Seattle that Seahawks fullback Leonard Weaver was planning to visit New Orleans, no such visit has been scheduled.

For more on these and several other topics, check out the chat me and Jeff Duncan just wrapped up earlier this afternoon. And we'll keep updating when we learn more ...